Web measuring and cutting mechanism



., Dec. 1, 1931 H. R WILLIAMS 1,834,299

WEB MEASURING AND CUTTING MECHANISM Filed March I6. "1929 flarr/son/rt Williams.

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1, 1931 HARRISON H. WILLIAMS, 0]? NEW YORK, N. Y.

WEB MEASURING AND CUTTING MECHANISM Application filed March 16, 1929. Serial No.- 347,535.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to mechanism for elevation of a measuring and cutting mechaautomatically measuring and cutting a continuous web into predetermined lengths.

The invention has for an object to provide a mechanism which may be simply and chea 1y constructed, which is simple and relia le in its operation, and particularly which maintains positive control of the web at all times both before and after severance.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention as herein illustrated, provision is made of a pair of coacting feed rollers, of which one having a predetermined circumferential measurement is positively driven. Through suitable control mechanism a knife, rotatable in unison with one of said memhers, is caused to become effective at the conclusion of a predetermined number of revolutions of sald member to cut off a predetermined length of the web.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the knife is fixed with relation to the feed roller with which it moves, and has its blade held in fixed position within the normal peripheral bounds of such roller. The peripheral portion or coverof such roller is composed of yielding material, and the measurmg mechanism is efi'ective to urge the rollers toward one another to compress such material at a predetermined perlod in the cycle of operations to enable the knife, without altering its position radially of the roller with which it moves, to en age and sever the web. This feature has t e important advantage, among others, that at the time the web is severed, the yieldable outer portion of the knife carrying roller is compressed, so that the web is gripped between the feed rollers for a substantial distance on either side of the knife, with the result that there is no tendency for the feed rollers to lose their grip upon that portion of the web which is being drawn into the feed rollers upon the severance of the web. i

O h r objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings, forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, sectional, side nism embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, plan view, cut away intermediate the sides of the mechanism for compactness of illustration, showing substantially the same portion of the mechanism as Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View illustrating how the external portion of the knifecarrying roller is compressed during the rev- 0 olution in which cutting occurs;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but illustrating the parts in a different portion of the cycle; and a Figure 5 is a view similar to Figures 3 and 4, illustrating the parts at the moment of severance.

In the illustrative embodiment of the in vention, provision is made of a machine frame 1 which supports a table 2. A reel 3 carries a roll 4 of web material 5, the reel being j ournaled in the frame 1 of the machine. From the reel 3 the web 5 is drawn over a uide roll 6 by cooperating feed rollers 7 an 8.- The feed roller 8 is fixed upon a driven shaft 9 journaled in the machine frame, and is provided with a cover 10 of yielding material such as soft rubber. The roller 8 carries a fixed knife 11, the blade of which terminates within the normal peripheral bounds of the roller cover 10 and lies in a notched out portion 10a of such roller cover. In the normal rotation of the feed rollers the yielding cover 10 projects beyond the knife blade and prevents the knife from coming into engagement with the .Web 5, and hence prevents the severance of the web. I

Provision i is made, however, for causing relative approach of the rollers 7 and 8 after a predetermined number of revolutions of the roller 8. The roller 7 is provided with spindle or hub elements 12 which are received in vertical slots or guides 13 of fixed brackets a the roller 7 toward the roller 8. The roller 7 may haveits entire surface formed of sufiiciently hard material to serve as a suitable cutting bed for the knife, or it may have a suitable cutting bed member set into it.

The mechanism for so operating the bell cranks 16 consists of a train of reducing and intermittent gearing operated from the shaft 9 on which the roller 8 is fixed. The shaft 9 drives a shaft 17 through Geneva gearing comprising a Geneva gear 18 fast on the shaft 17, an operating pin 19 carried by a crank 20 fast on the shaft 9, and a notched locking disc 21 fast on the shaft 9 and arranged to coact with the Geneva gear to prevent rotation thereof except at the time when said gear is to be driven by the driving pin 19. The shaft 18 also carries fast thereon a gear 21a in mesh with a larger gear 22 supported on a shaft 23. A pinion 24 fast with the gear 22 drives a gear 25 supported on a shaft 26. The gear 25 has fast therewith a cam 27 which is circular in form throughout the major portion of its circumference, but is provided with a projection 28 at one portion thereof. A lever 29 fast on a shaft 30 is provided at one end thereof with a cam finger 31 adapted to be engaged and moved upward by the projection 28 of the cam 27. At the end of the lever 29 remote from the finger 31 provision is made of a pin 32 which plays in a slot 33 formed in the lower arm of one of the bell cranks 16. At the opposite side of the machine the shaft 30 has fast upon it a crank 3 f provided at the outer end thereof with a pin 35 which plays in the slot of the lower arm of the other bell crank 16. When the projection 28 of the cam 27 comes underneath the finger 31, the lever 29 is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction and swings the bell cranks16 in unison in a clockwise direction. The cam slots 15 of the bell cranks 16 are thereby made effective to depress the spindles 12 of the roller 7 and force the roller 7 toward the roller 8. This compresses the cover 10 of the roller 8 and causes the knife to be effective to sever the web when the knife next comes opposite the roller 7.

It will be observed that the Geneva gearing provides for intermittent actuation of the cam 27, and that the cam is rotated throughout approximately only one-fourth of each revolution of the roller 8. As a consequence, the projection 28 on the cam may be moved underneath the finger 31 of lever 29 and permitted to remain idle in such position throughout a subtantial portion of a revolution of the roller 8. It is accordingly not necessary to design the cam projection 28 for precise timing, since the cam projection 28 is at rest beneath the finger 31 throughout the major portion of a revolution. of the roller 8.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the gearing is so proportioned that the web will be severed, at the conclusion of thirty-two revolutions of the roller 8 It is obvious, however, that the gear train may be altered to produce lengths forming any other multiple of the circumference of the roller 8, or that the mechanism might be otherwise varied to secure other lengths of the material, if desired.

While I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the specific construe tions illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principle may be utilized.

I claim: j 1. In a web measuring and cutting machine, in combination, a pair of feed rollers, one of which is provided with a yielding, peripheral portion, a knife located within the normal peripheral bounds of said roller, and movable in unison therewith, and means periodically moving the other roller toward the knife carrying roller for causing the yielding, peripheral portion of the knife carrying roller to be compressed to expose the knife and render it operative to sever the web. 2. In a web severing mechanism, in combination, a first feed roller having a substanroller within the normal peripheral bounds thereof, and means for pressing the rollers together to compress the peripheral portion of the second feed roller and cause the first roller to come into cooperative relation to the knife. 7

3. In a web severing mechanism, in combination, a first feed roller having a substantially unyielding periphery, a second feed roller having a yielding, peripheral portion, a knife mounted in one of the feed rollers and coacting with the other to cut the web periodically, and means automatically increasing the area of web gripped by the feed rollers at the time of cutting.

4. In a web severing mechanism, in combination, a first feed roller having a substantially unyielding periphery, a second feed roller having a yielding peripheral portion, a knife located within the normal peripheral bounds of the secondfeed roller, and mechanism geared to one of said feed rollers and acting automatically rotation thereof to force the rollers together to compress the peripheral portion of the second-roller and thereby render the knife effective .to cut the web.

5. In a web measuring and cutting machine, in combination, a first feed roller, a second feed roller cooperative with the first and having a yielding, peripheral portion, means for positively driving one of said rollers continuously, a knife carried by the second feed roller within the normal peripheral bounds after a predetermined thereof and mechanism for'periodicall forcing the rollers toward one another inc uding force multiplying mechanism, operatedproportionately to the second feed roller. 5 6. In a web measurin and cutting machine, in combination,a rst feed roller pro- 'viding a cutting bed, a second feed roller cooperative'with the firstto ip the web and v feed it continuously, a kni d carried by the 10 second feed roller for cutting the web, and means for rendering the knife effective periodically after a predetermined number of revolutions of one of the rollers, comprising an operating member operated in unison with 15 said roller, intermittent gearing advanceable step by step, and through a predetermineddistance at each revolution of said roller, and means operated by said gearing after a predetermined number of steps thereof to cause 20 the knife carrying roller and the other feed roller to increase their grip on the web.

In testimony 'whereof I have afiixed my signature to this specification.

HARRISON R. WILLIAMS.- 

